Ballyana Industrial Heritage museum

A region’s history is often closely connected with the history of a single family or a local industrial sector. This is also the case in the Swiss village Schönenwerd, where the shoe manufacturer Bally has its origins. A foundation and related museum collect and exhibit historical objects – machines, products, pictures or diaries – to make history more tangible for visitors. The Ballyana Industrial Heritage museum offers visitors an authentic atmosphere and industrial history to touch: It is allowed to hold and touch many of the objects and the exhibition addresses all senses. “Leather also smells very good,” says Philipp Abegg about the raw material Bally used for decades to fabricate shoes.